Fatal Fury Special/Andy Bogard

Introduction

Andy is a top tier all-rounder with great movement and neutral. His most important feature is his Zaneiken, a safe fullscreen elbow that opponents will have to respect at all times.

Pros	Cons
Amazing specials Great mobility Hard to pin down	Short range on normals Has to constantly get into close range to deal damage Commands take some time to get used to, super move has very limited use

Move List

Standing/Taunting	Crouching	Jumping
		Andy cycles between hurtboxes as he spins during diagonal jumps. 52F duration.

Close Standing Normals

c5A

c5A
Magari/曲がり

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
8	2	Mid	8	4	3	14	+9	+10	Kara Cancel, Self Cancel
Slow startup for an A normal, but it easily combos unscaled into itself and c5D. Mainly used as a stun combo starter.

c5B

c5B
Tsukigeri/突き蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
10	2	Mid	4	6	5	14	+5	+6	Kara Cancel
Faster startup than close A, but gives much less advantage on hit and block so it doesn't see much use.

c5C

c5C
Kaiten Magari/回転曲がり

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
18	4	Mid	10	15	6	30	+3	+2	Kara Cancel
Slower startup and worse range than close D. Decent frame advantage if it hits meaty, though.

c5D

c5D
Kaiten Gyakugeri/回転逆蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
20	4	Mid	8	10	28	45	-14	-15	Kara Cancel
Good anti-air. Can be linked into from c5A. Used in combos and blockstrings.

Far Standing Normals

f5A

f5A
Hajiki/弾き

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
6	2	Mid	5	4	4	12	+8	+9	Kara Cancel, Self Cancel
Standard low risk, low return light. Whiffs against most crouching characters.

f5B

f5B
Tsukikaeshi-geri/突き返し蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
8	2	Mid	8	9	12	28	-5	-4	Kara Cancel
Andy's farthest reaching normal. Great button to pressure with when cancelled into Hishoken or Zaneiken on block.

f5C

f5C
Kaiten-uchi/回転打ち

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
16	4	Mid	8	12	16	35	-5	-6	/
Good anti-air.

f5D

f5D
Tatsumakigeri/竜巻蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
18	4	Mid	8	11	18	36	-6	-7	/
Good anti-air. Useful in situations where Shoryudan doesn't have enough horizontal reach.

Crouching Normals

2A

2A
Shagami Uraken/しゃがみ裏拳

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
6	2	Mid	3	4	4	10	+8	+9	Kara Cancel, Self Cancel
Andy's fastest normal, making it an excellent pressure tool. Links into itself and can combo into Zaneiken.

2B

2B
Haraigeri/払い蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
8	2	Low	10	7	4	20	+5	+6	Kara Cancel
Has low profile and can beat certain jumping attacks. Slow startup for a light normal, though.

2C

2C
Shagamitsuki/しゃがみ直き

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
16	4	Mid	12	7	9	27	+8	+7	Kara Cancel
Basically a stronger but much slower version of 2A. Useful as you can easily combo into heavy Zaneiken from this.

2D

2D
Surigeri/摺り蹴り

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
14	4	Low	11	10	18	38	KD	-5	Kara Cancel
Slow startup and recovery, but can low profile some moves like Mai's Kachosen.

Jumping Normals

jA

jA
Shutou-Otoshi/手刀落とし

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
8	2	Overhead	5	∞	/	/	-	-	-
Andy's jump kicks are much better, so don't bother using this.

jB

jB
Tobigyakugeri/飛び逆蹴り

Diagonal Jump

Neutral Jump

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
10	2	Overhead	5	∞	/	/	-	-	-
Same frame data for neutral and diagonal jump. Diagonal jump version has more vertical reach than jD. Neutral jump version should be avoided as it has the same hitbox and startup as neutral jump D while doing less damage and stun.

jC

jC
Hishou-Otoshi/飛翔落とし

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
Diagonal Jump	18	4	Overhead	5	15	/	/	-	-	-
Pretty much the same as jump A. No need to use.
Neutral Jump	16	4	Overhead	5	13	/	/	-	-	-

jD

jD
Tobigyakugeri/飛び逆蹴り

Diagonal Jump

Neutral Jump

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
Diagonal Jump	20	4	Overhead	6	15	/	/	-	-	-
Same animation as jump B, but crosses up. Limited number of active frames, though.
Neutral Jump	20	4	Overhead	5	13	/	/	-	-	-
Same hitbox and startup as neutral jump jB and does more damage.

Universal Mechanics

Lane Blast

Lane Blast
Karigeri/刈り蹴り
C+D

Front Lane

Back Lane

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
Front Lane	22	5	Mid	17	10	12	39	KD (+91)	-3	Cancel, Lane Shift
Decent reach for an Andy normal.
Back Lane	22	5	Mid	14	9	10	32	KD (+83)	0	Cancel, Lane Shift
Better than the front lane version due to having more compact frame data.

Lane Attack

Lane Attack
A/B/C/D from opposite lane

Front Lane Punch

Front Lane Kick

Back Lane Punch

Back Lane Kick

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
A	20	2	Overhead	13	-	4	-	-	-	/
Straight and fast cross-lane punch. Whiffs on crouchers.
B	20	2	Overhead	22	-	4	-	-	-	/
Straight cross-lane kick. The slower startup means it will usually lose to another lane attack.
C	20	4	Overhead	13	-	4	-	-	-	/
Slower high angle punch. Whiffs on crouchers.
D	20	4	Overhead	22	-	4	-	-	-	/
Slower high angle kick. The slower startup means it will usually lose to another lane attack.

Dodge Attack

Dodge Attack
Hirate-Uchi/平手打ち
6A during proximity guard

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
11	5	Mid	15	8	8	30	Air Reset (+24)	+3	Kara Cancel, Upper-Body Invuln 1-22F
Pretty standard but good dodge attack. Has more range than most Andy normals. Startup Recovery

Throws

C Throw

Holding Throw
close 4/6C

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
26	3	Throw	1	1	/	-	KD (+72)	/	/
Swaps sides.

Special Moves

Hishou Ken (214P)

Hishou Ken
214A/C

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
A	16 (4)	3	Mid	22	-	33	54	0	+1	/
Projectile travels slower.
C	22 (5)	6	Mid	26	-	35	60	+6	-5	/
Projectile travels faster.

Shoryu Dan (236P)

Shoryu Dan
236A/C

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Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
A	14 (3)	3	Mid	10	3+4+5+6	20	47	KD	-10	Invincible 1~18F
Very good reversal and anti-air. Has short range but beats crossups.
C	20 (4)	6	Mid	13	4+5+6+8	31	66	KD	-30	Invincible 1~24F
Has slightly farther range, but the slower startup and longer recovery gives it more risk, making the A version typically preferred.

Zan Ei Ken ([1]6P)

Zan Ei Ken
[1]6A/C

Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
A	16 (4)	3	Mid	10	16	2	27	Air Reset	-6	Throw Invincible
Charge time: 7F. Andy charges about half of the screen. Easily comboable into from lights.
C	22 (5)	6	Mid	13	20	2	34	KD	-2	Throw Invincible
Charge time: 13F. Harder to combo into, but covers almost the entire screen very quickly and does tons of damage while being safe on block. Difficult to react to and counterattacks can be baited by stopping short with the A version.

Kuuha Dan (19K)

Kuuha Dan
19B/D

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Version	Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
B	13x2 (3x2)	3x2	Mid	16	32	9	56	-11	-14	Invincible 1~15F, Airborne 16~47F
Goes over fireballs and is safe if spaced (like at the range an opponent would throw a fireball). The disjointed hitboxes make it difficult for the opponent to anti-air as well. Andy can keep pressuring after with f5B and [1]6P.
D	18 (4x2)	6	Mid	16	50	12	77	KD	-28	Invincible 1~15F, Airborne 16~65F
Flies farther in a much higher arc and knocks down on hit. More situational than the B version.

Desperation Move

Chou Reppa Dan ([2]36BD)

Chou Reppa Dan
When health is flashing
[2]36B+D

Damage	Stun	Guard	Startup	Active	Recovery	Total	Hit Adv	Block Adv	Property
36 (9x2)	4	Mid	21	48	24	92	KD	-20	Airborne 21~68F
Charge time: 60F. Must be charged with only 2. 1 and 3 are not valid charge directions. Does a large amount of chip damage but is easily avoided by switching lanes. Combined with the cumbersome charge input and slow startup, it's very situational.

Combos

• (2A > 2A >) 2A > [1]6A - 20 Damage
• 2C > [1]6C - 35 Damage
• c5A > c5A > c5D > [1]6C - 55 Damage

Ideal punish combo.

• (Corner, far distance) 214A, [1]6C - 38 Damage

Strategies

The Basics

While Andy in Special has been slightly toned down from his FF2 appearance, he still boasts an amazing, well-rounded set of moves and remains a high tier character. His gameplan is largely centered around the Zaneiken, a high-speed elbow rush attack that gives him incredible ground mobility. Compared to the other two protagonist characters, Andy is much more focused on close range rushdown and hit-and-run style tactics rather than keepaway. While he does have a fireball, it's not used much for zoning due to it's long startup; instead, it's most effective when used in tandem with his other specials. An extremely common but effective tactic is to first throw a light Hishoken, and immediately follow it up with a heavy Zaneiken: the fireball will act as a "shield" of shorts in front of you, making it very difficult for the enemy to stop your approach. Even if the Zaneiken gets blocked, you're safe and free to backstep away before your enemy gets a chance to counterattack. A good chunk of the damage you deal as Andy comes from blocked Zaneikens alone, so don't be afraid to throw the move out a lot especially if your opponent is bad at countering it. Light Zaneiken travels about half the screen and has almost no recovery on whiff making it an excellent movement tool, but try to favor the heavy version when you actually want to hit your opponent as it's much safer on block.

Kuuha Dan is your most reliable tool against projectiles, as Andy isn't going to win any projectile wars with his slow fireball. You can use it to fly past virtually all enemy projectiles, save for maybe Krauser's High Blitzball or Kaiser Wave, and punish your opponent before they're able to recover. Be very careful with your spacing, though, as it'll leave you defenseless right next to your enemy when blocked up close which will spell doom for Andy. On the other hand, when properly spaced, Kuuha Dan can actually be plus on block, allowing you to continue your offense. It even has some invincibility on startup, so you can use it as a (very risky) reversal if you wish.

Andy's biggest weakness is his rather stubby normals, although it's not a huge issue thanks to him being able to get into close range much easier than most of the cast. The buttons you'll be using most commonly are 2A: a fast short range jab ideal for pressuring your opponent, 5B: a relatively long-reaching kick that can be cancelled into Hishoken or Zaneiken, and 2C: crouching heavy punch that can combo into Zaneiken. Both of his standing heavy kicks are great for anti-airing, and on top of that you've got Shoryudan, a dedicated anti-air special with a lot of startup invulnerability. Use your kick buttons if you're going for a jump-in: jB stays active for the entire duration of the jump, while jD can cross up.

When playing Andy, it's important to keep your inputs as clean as possible and learn to perform the Zaneiken correctly early on. The game prioritizes 236P over [1]6P, so if there's any overlap with those two commands you'll always get a Shoryudan instead of Zaneiken. An accidental heavy Shoryudan at the wrong moment might cost you an entire round, so be very careful. It's a common enough occurrence that the Japanese community even has coined the term "shooting fireworks" for a Shoryudan done accidentally.

Advanced Strategy

The "Zaneiken throw" is a rather nasty technique where you space a light Zaneiken so that it stops just before making contact with your enemy, and immediately go for a throw once you're in their face. Very hard to react to, but requires excellent spacing skills.

Andy can cancel the recovery of his backstep into a Shoryudan to gain extra frames of invulnerability. Useful if you notice you're about to backstep right into a fireball.

Andy's optimal combo is a bit tricky as it requires you to cancel a close D into heavy Zaneiken. This requires a strange "mini-charge" right after pressing D; try not to start it too early or you'll get crouch D instead. It'll require some practice to get the timing right, but it's worth the effort.

Match-ups

Vs. Andy Bogard

5 - 5

Dodge attack can be used to counter enemy Zaneikens. Of course, your opponent can do the same against you so try not to be too predictable and keep them guessing between your Hishoken and Zaneiken. If you're locked in a fireball war, Kuuha Dan is your best option to get out of the situation.

Vs. Axel Hawk

7 - 3

Big advantage for Andy. Axel is far too cumbersome to keep up with your movement, so you can get in and out with relative ease. Axel can't safely zone you out with his tornadoes either due to the threat of your Kuuha Dan. On top of that, Zaneiken hits Axel in his weak spot, boosting its already high damage by 25% every time you land it. Don't get too predictable with your offense, though, as Axel can still deal some heavy damage with good reads. His CD in particular can be used to counter both your Zaneiken and Kuuha Dan, and it gives him good oki on hit. Watch out for his dodge attack too as it reaches much farther than than you'd expect.

Vs. Big Bear

6 - 4

Your first instinct might be to try zoning the grappler out with your fireballs, but using Hishoken is a big risk due to Bear being able to charge past it with his tackle. Use your mobility to your advantage instead, pressure him in close range and backstep away before he gets a chance to counterattack. Andy's lows are too slow to be reliable against tackles, but dodge attack and Shoryudan both work wonders against the move.

Vs. Billy Kane

5 - 5

Billy's strong pokes can be a problem for Andy as they can easily hit you out of a Zaneiken. Use the Hishoken + Zaneiken combination to your advantage to make it harder for Billy to stop your approach. Billy lacks high speed normals, so you'll have the advantage whenever you're close enough to hit him with 2A. Strike/throw mixups are also useful up close. Watch out for his super when he's low on health as you don't want to accidentally ram into it with Zaneiken.

Vs. Cheng Sinzan

6 - 4

Cheng's arcing fireballs can be annoying for Andy as they can potentially hit you out of a both Zaneiken and Kuuha Dan. Fortunately, they have a rather long startup and recovery, so look for a gap in his defense and strike with heavy Zaneiken. Avoid doing long blockstrings as Cheng can easily break free with a light Hagan Geki.

Vs. Duck King

6 - 4

Duck is all about close range pressure, so try to keep your distance and don't stay in close range any longer than necessary. You can harass him with Hishokens from long range, but watch out whenever you're in range of his Needle Low as it can low profile fireballs. If you're being pressured up close, you can try breaking free with a Shoryudan or heavy Kuuha Dan, although simply backstepping away is usually the safest option.